Lots of notes...

A very productive day, after all.
No power outages so far, though this storm system is not yet past. Might get more wind later, and definitely more rain.
Anyway, I've been working through some more plot snags, and with the help of my son, was working out some strategy challenges. He's been helpful in that because he plays a lot of strategic war games, and so is familiar with many battle methods over the course of history. And some from fictitious worlds, as well.
So we set up some stuff and worked out the method of attack on a caravan, then I went on to work out just how the main villain is to overtake a city-state, and conquer it for his own. Have to put all the rules of this world, and fill in the gaps by manufacturing more rules for this world that need to be in place, then you put those rules in motion when planning out the plot. Had to know more how the land's boundary walls were built, how high, how many guards, how many patrols along the trade route, what the terrain was like, and so forth.
All this to be told in a paragraph by an Officer who relates the tale later, to the commander, Atero.
So at least the details are lined up and he, the reporting Officer, alludes to things that are not completely seen by the reader, but you know the things he mentions in part are there because of the assumption by the characters that those elements are already in place. Clear as mud? Ah yeah, likely.

Okay, time to quit for the day, it's 11 pm, and tomorrow's Sunday.

A couple of personal book reviews...

Time for another break from writing, to catch up on other things. I read a couple of Anne McCaffrey books, one was Dragonsdawn, the other, The Dolphins of Pern. The first book was interesting in that it showed how the first people to land on Pern established the settlements on the planet, and how they developed the first dragons. That was enjoyable reading, and obviously involved a lot of research, being a heavily sci-fi book as opposed to more fantasy oriented as the other Dragonriders of Pern books are. The second book, Dolphins, was fun in that the earth dolphins that were introduced to Pern's world could speak, and the scenes involving them were charming, but overall, it wasn't a very well written book. It seemed to lack detail in some of the scenes, so that I was not immersed in them. The momentous death of a main character of the Pern books was skimmed over to three paragraphs, and while it was from the perspective of the settlers of a southern hold, there was little mention of anyone else's reaction. I dunno, it was a bit scattered and rather disappointing. Not sure why that is. I'm not that great at literary criticism, but instead judge whether a book is readable for me, or not. Having a lousy attention span borne from long years raising a couple of challenging kids, I'm hoping that I can improve on that.

The introduction of new scenes in my book has been good, because finally finally finally, after ears of pondering and working things out, it's getting knitted together. Yes, it's taken me that long.

There's a storm blowing in from the Pacific today and lasts until the next morning, and hopefully the power will stay on. It's blowing pretty hard out there already, and the real winds are supposed to be in until 4 or 5 this afternoon. Sheesh.

Writing again...

There's nothing better in the world of wording, than plucking a new idea, like a succulent ripe fruit, from the tree of the collective consciousness, and feeding the hungry plot monster. Which also paves the way to finding the more viable solution to the protagonist's problem, further into the story. It doesn't change the story much, just makes it better. Ah, to ride the crest of a creative wave... it is golden, just golden.

Reading phase.

I needed to take another break from writing for a while. It does take a lot out of me at times, just focusing on the story and the details, and working everything out. I finally got around to reading JK Rowling's last book of the Harry Potter series, The Deathly Hallows. Quite a piece, if you ask me. A great story. Also very sad. Not just for the deaths of the heroes, but for an anti-hero, that I couldn't help but like, even if he was portrayed as unlikeable. JKR made him a very sympathetic character. She certainly has a great ability to develop her characters so well. Very realistic people. Multi-dimensional, capable of of cowardice, mistakes, and even doing wrong, but always being driven by something larger than themselves, and ultimately making the choice to do what is right, no matter what the cost to themselves.
She also has a great sense of humor. Plus she can make the characters and the situation really stir the reader's emotions.
I'm also finishing up HG Wells's collection of short stories. An archaic style, naturally, since it was written over a hundred years ago, but the unique way he told his tales, his interest in the discoveries of space and physics that were happening at the time and his incredibly complex imagination earned him his fame. My fave story of his so far is The First Men in the Moon. Good stuff.
A friend gave me, bless her, a gift card to Borders, and I used it to get some books I've had my eye on for a while, on writing and editing. I'm awaiting their arrival by mail, soon. So if I don't get back on my manuscript by then, I know that reading the books will get me going on it with renewed energy.

Short break... and then...

Started writing back stories that I may or may not use in the book at some point, or only infer to it. It's been hard to make inferences when I don't even have the subject quite straight in my head. So, in writing it all out, I not only get the kinks worked out, but also it solidifies things so that I don't forget what the facts are and have inconsistencies. So that I don't say, "Old so and so, who is from the south land..." when the reader looks up in puzzlement and says, "But I thought old so and so was from the north land."
Which often happens when one's short term memory take a small vacation. Or runs away completely... to which I have to call it back with much cajoling and many treats.
I finally got my hands on the latest Harry Potter book, Deathly Hallows, but my son spotted it and is now plowing neatly through it. He's quite the reader when he gets interested in something.
Anyway, back to backstories, I realize that in finally working out the back stories, I will have to rewrite the first chapter. But I think it will all be worth it.
Strangely enough, I've come to love the process of writing and story crafting, and not just be champing for the finish.

Whew... need a break.

Having the opposite problem for now, doing too much. I'm feeling rather drained, mentally. Added 45 pages to my manuscript, which puts it at 63319 words. This was not a NaNoWriMo novel, it is a series of fragmented scenes that need to be properly knitted together. So, it isn't word count I'm all that concerned with, but making a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. Because this was begun such a long time ago, before I really knew how to knit a story together, it was not created with the methods I use with new stories every year at NaNoWriMo. I did wonder at one point why I didn't write new stories at any other time of the year, and that is due to not having enough time or energy to do more than I'm doing now. I have so much on my plate, right now, writing-wise, and the real life monster has been gnawing at my ankles again.
My son is almost ready to graduate high school, and he took a course for spring semester at the local community college that requires him to go to class for three hours in the morning, twice a week. On top of finishing his high school requirements. He's also looking to get his driver's license, which requires jumping through more hoops for insurance and such. And we're down to one car, and I hope that in his navigating the morning commute that nothing happens to him or the car... because otherwise he'll be having to take public transit.
*pauses for a moment*
I'm a worry wort at times, but life experience has shown that Murphy's Law is alive and well. Ah well. I resign myself to such a fate as this life has seen fit to provide. :)

Slogging on, and occasional dancing.

Right now, the progress on this book is quite satisfactory. I've made great progress by changing the beginning of the Fall from Azren confronting his meddlesome cousin, to the point of view of a young woodcutter's son whom Azren encounters several years earlier, and the information this youth had that would ultimately change the destiny of the entire country. From this innocent bystander's POV, the reader is better introduced to Azren's ways and character, and sets up the story's main plot. I'd say the next chapter will have Azren confronting his cousin, who is a member of the Council, and the disaster that happens afterward, that goes in Azren's favor. While it does create hardship for the main character, he is propelled into his mission in such a way that there is no turning back. And yes, while his best friend, former Patrol partner Atero (Frenet's husband) hunts him down, and another disaster causes tragedy and irretrievable setbacks for Azren, it also causes him to gain another strategic advantage. The Trade Route is destroyed by a severe earthquake, and so are parts of the boundary walls. This weakens Anyat's economy and causes further unrest among its citizens. Which plays into Azren's hands.
This took me years to work out, and it's all finally coming together. The jigsaw pieces are starting to form a clear picture. And so I am inspired once again.